


What to Expect When Making Deals With the Devil

by HighlyOpinionatedNerd



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Devil Fruits AU, Hope you like it!, I just wanted to write about feelings and relationships, lot of introspection and moral ambiguity going on here, no fighting villains or anything, set directly after the timeskip, there's not going to be any real action, which means no Jinbei (sorry)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-13 04:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13562475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighlyOpinionatedNerd/pseuds/HighlyOpinionatedNerd
Summary: An AU in which Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro decide to eat Devil Fruits and gain powers that they hope will be of use to their crew as they make their way through the second half of the Grand Line. However, their newfound abilities come with a lot of unforeseen side effects. If they want to learn to control their powers, they'll have to rely on the help and support of their crewmates.





	1. Chapter 1

“Nami?” Usopp stuck his head through the door to the Sunny’s library. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, yes. Come in, and close the door behind you, please.”

“Uh, ok…” Usopp did as he was instructed, and moved towards where Nami, Zoro, and Sanji were seated around one of the library tables, which was illuminated by a single candle.

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on now?” Zoro asked grumpily. “Calling us out in the middle of the night like this…what are you being so secretive for?”

“Trust me, you’ll understand when you hear what I’ve got to say.” Nami’s eyes kept darting towards the door nervously, and she was bouncing her leg anxiously. “None of you told the others about this, right?”

Sanji shook his head. “Nope, we did what you asked. Just tell us what’s wrong, Nami-san.”

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong. I just…well, I have a proposal for you three.”

“We’re listening.”

Nami took a deep breath, and leaned in closer to the boys on the other side of the table. “So we were apart for two years. And I feel like we all made great progress, don’t get me wrong, we’ve all changed a lot. Which is great. But this is the New World. And Luffy is, well, Luffy. I’m just worried that it might not be enough, you know?”

“You’re saying we’re not strong enough to protect Luffy?” Zoro looked offended.

“Maybe I am. If he keeps picking fights with everyone he meets, someday we may find ourselves fighting all of the Four Emperors at once, and that just seems like a little much for nine people to handle.”

Usopp nodded thoughtfully. “She has a point, Zoro.”

“In any case, Nami-san, what are you suggesting?”

Nami bit her lip hesitantly. “Let’s just think hypothetically for a second. What if...the four of us were to eat Devil Fruits?”

A moment of stunned silence answered her.

“That’s...that’s ridiculous.”

“Is it though? I think it might be a good idea.”

Sanji ran a hand through his hair, frowning. “It’d be an instant power-up, that’s pretty certain. But there’s almost no guarantee that you’d get the powers you’re looking for. In fact, it’s more likely you’d just end up picking a fruit at random and hoping it doesn’t do something completely useless.”

“Not to mention, none of us would be able to swim. Who’d rescue Luffy when he jumps in the water like he does?”

“Well, Franky could. But that’s putting a lot of pressure on him. If we lose the ability to swim just to get a stupid power, that’d really suck.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Usopp crossed his arms. “I still don’t get why we’re keeping this secret. Shouldn’t we be asking the people with actual powers for an opinion about this?”

“I just wanted to pitch it to you guys first, and let you decide if you wanted to ask the others. But I think we all know that most of them would be against it.”

“And the’d be right, don’t you think? Nami, this seems like a recipe for disaster.”

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to! I’m not forcing you to eat one!”

“Say one of us does decide to do this. You couldn’t keep it a secret for very long anyway, not if you’re chasing down Devil Fruits and fighting off everyone else who wants it. I don’t think this is a viable plan, Nami-san.”

“Oh, no, I already have the Fruits.”

“......You _what?_ ”

“I picked them up before the rendezvous. I figured that, if some of us decide not to eat them, I could at least sell them on the down low and make a little profit. Look, they’re right here.”

Nami reached under the table and pulled up a burlap sack, which she overturned onto the tabletop. Sure enough, four Fruits spilled out of it and into the candlelight.

“Oh my god, Nami.”

“They’re bigger than I thought they were. Do you have to eat the whole thing?”

“No, I don’t think so. Sanji-kun, do you recognize any of them?”

Sanji shook his head. “I think this one looks like some kind of Zoan. The rest, I can’t say.”

“Alright, well.” Nami drew herself up determinedly. “I’m eating one. The rest of you don’t have to, but I’m eating one. If it’ll make a difference out there in the New World, then I want to do everything I can.”

“You’re insane, Nami.”

“No,” Usopp said tentatively, “I think she might be on to something.”

“You’re going to eat one too?”

“...You know what? Sure. I’ve got nothing much to lose. Let’s eat Devil Fruits, I guess.”

“I’ve always wanted to have powers,” Sanji said quietly, staring intently at the Fruits on the table. “I…I’ll do it.”

“Excellent. Zoro?”

“I think you’re _all_ crazy.”

“I said you don’t have to eat it!”

“Yeah, Marimo, no one blames you for not-”

“Who said I wouldn’t?” Zoro glared at Sanji. “I just hope this is worth it is all.”

“Ok then,” Nami said shakily. “We all agree. We’re going to eat these things.”

“Yeah.”

“Who wants which one?”

“I’ll go with this one,” Usopp said, reaching out and picking up a perfectly round, many-colored Fruit.

“Then, I’ll take this one.” Zoro grabbed a long, thin Fruit, weighing it in his hand.

“Nami-san?”

“Um...I’ll take the Zoan, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Sanji said, taking the remaining Fruit, which was segmented and an unappetizing shade of green.

There was a moment of uncertain silence as they stood there, staring at the Fruits in their hands, still uncertain despite everything.

“...What now?”

“All together, on the count of three?”

“Yeah, ok.”

“One, two, _three!_ ”

The four of them bit into the Fruits.

“Blech!”

“Eeeeewwwwwww…”

“Ugh, gross!”

“Hragh, what the hell? Why do they taste like that?”

“I don’t know, don’t ask me. Blech, I might be sick.”

“Did it work?”

They looked themselves over, and then glanced around at each other. 

“Me neither,” Zoro said.

“Uh, what?”

“Usopp said he didn’t feel any different.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes you did. No,” he added, looking at Nami, “I’m not imagining things, he just said it.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“He’s hearing our thoughts,” Sanji said incredulously. “Oh god, he’s reading our minds! This is horrible!”

“No- I’m- That can’t be right.” Zoro glanced around him, looking a little overwhelmed. “Am I?”

“It sure seems that way, man.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let the Marimo go first,” Sanji groaned, moving to sit back down on his chair. But the moment his fingers touched the wood, there was an audible cracking sound, and the chair splintered underneath him, dropping him unceremoniously on the floor. 

“Ow, what the hell?” He put a hand out to raise himself up, and a spiderweb of fissures spread instantly in the wood beneath his palm. “Ah! What’s happening?!”

Usopp yelped and pointed down at his foot. “My big toe is glowing! Are you guys seeing this? My toe...ack! And also my elbow! Glowing! What if it explodes? I’m going to explode!”

“Stay calm, everyone,” Nami said. “We can deal with this. Stay calm, cause once you start to panic you’ll...you’ll...a-a-achoo!”

“Nami…your hands!”

Nami sniffed and looked down- bristly, orange fur had sprung up along her hands and forearms, and her nails had elongated into sharp, curved claws.

“Oh my _god_ ,” she shrieked, “what do I do!”

“You were the one telling us to be calm!”

“How are we supposed to be calm in this situation!”

From the hall outside, they heard running footsteps, and a moment later the library door burst open.

“What’s going on in here?” Franky yelled, dashing inside with his hands raised defensively.

“What is it?” Luffy’s voice yelled, the top of his head just barely visible behind Franky’s hulking shoulder. “What happened?”

Robin elbowed her way in past Franky and gasped, her hands going to her mouth as she took in the states of her crewmates, and then the partially-eaten fruits discarded on the table. “What did you guys do?”

“What! I can’t see, Franky! Someone tell me what’s going on!”

“They ate Devil Fruits,” Brook said, peering over Franky’s head.

“Who did?” Chopper asked, trying to squeeze through Robin’s legs.

“All of them. They all did.”

“Robin,” Nami sobbed, holding out her furry hands, “I think we m-made a mistake...help, please!”

“No it wasn’t!” Zoro yelled, apropos of nothing.

“It’s ok, it’s ok,” Robin said, moving into the room and pulling Nami into a hug. “You’re all going to be just fine. We can sort this out, don’t you worry.”

Luffy finally made it through the doorway and stared at the scene in front of him, mouth agape. “That was really stupid, you guys know. Why didn’t you tell us about this?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Usopp said meekly, hiding his glowing arm behind his back and refusing to look at it. “Sorry, Luffy…”

“Aw, it’s nothing to be sorry about!” Luffy gave them one of his wide smiles. “I just woulda warned you about the side effects, that’s all.”

“Come along now,” Robin said, one hand on Nami’s back and the other on Zoro’s shoulder. “Let’s get you four to bed. You’ll feel better after a few hours sleep, trust me, and we can figure out exactly what’s going on in the morning. Sound like a plan?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sanji repeated dully, gingerly getting to his feet. “But what if something happens during the night?”

“We’ll be just a call away. Now, more than ever, is the time to trust your crewmates, don’t you think?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We’re sorry.”

“It’s quite alright. Now go to sleep. Let your body start to adjust. Everything will be fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this idea for like, at least a year? I don't know exactly, but boy does it feel good to be finally writing it. Writing One Piece always kinda feels like going back to my roots, which is nice.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


	2. Chapter 2

“Saaaaaanjiiiiii,” Luffy groaned, shuffling half-awake into the galley, “I’m huuuuungry. What’s for breakfast?”

“Ah, just give me a second, Luffy,” Sanji said. He sounded tired. “I’m having a little trouble getting started this morning…”

Luffy blinked and brushed some stray bedhead out of his face. There was a pile of broken dishes on the counter next to the sink, and the trash can was overflowing with mutilated cooking ingredients.

“Oh yeah,” Luffy said, the memories of last night’s events slowly coming back to him. “It’s ok, take all the time you need.”

“Thanks. Food’ll be ready in a minute, I promise.”

Luffy sat down and propped his elbows on the table, chin resting in his hands. “How are you doing?”

“I keep _breaking_ things,” Sanji said exasperatedly. “I have to concentrate really, really hard not to. This morning I broke the doorknob off the bathroom door by accident.”

Luffy laughed. “Yeah, back when I first got my powers, I didn’t have very good control over it either. Don’t worry, you’ll get there eventually.”

“Thanks, Luffy. Oh goddamnit!” Sanji jumped backwards as the glass pitcher of orange juice he’d just picked up shattered in his hand, spilling its contents everywhere. “Sorry, I’ll clean that up.”

“Good morning, all,” Robin said, entering the galley, followed by Chopper and an exhausted-looking Nami.

“Watch out, Robin-san, don’t step in the orange juice.”

“Good morning.” Luffy scooted over to make room for Nami to sit next to him.

“Oh, ‘morning Luffy. I’m sorry again about last night, I just wanted to...to...a- _choo!_ ”

“Your ears, Nami,” Robin pointed out calmly, taking a tray of sandwiches from Sanji and setting them on the table.

Nami groaned and clapped her hands to the side of her head, where her ears had changed size and shape of their own accord. “It won’t stop!”

“You have to concentrate, Nami-san.”

“On what?”

“Not using your powers, I guess?”

“Maybe that’s been working for you, Sanji-kun, but I don’t even know what’s causing this.”

“It’s different for everyone,” Chopper said, munching happily on a sandwich. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Good morning, everybody! What a lovely day, don’t you think?”

“Brook, don’t step in the orange juice!”

Over the next few minutes, the rest of the crew members made their way to the galley. Even Zoro joined them, surprisingly enough. He usually slept in much later than the rest of them.

“Someone please tell me how to shut these powers off,” he said hoarsely, flopping down into a seat next to Robin.

“Well, now that we’re all here, we might as well have ourselves a discussion,” she shrugged. Keeping in mind that all Fruit powers are unique, I’ll need each of you to give me as much detail as possible, ok? Then we can start to figure ways to train you. Who wants to go first?”

“Me,” Usopp said, holding up his hand. A glowing green dot pulsed in the middle of his palm. “I think all it’s done so far is make me glow. Is that it? Is that all the power I got?”

“Likely so. But I’m sure it’s not quite that simple. Is your hand the only thing that’s been glowing?”

“No, it pops up in different spots all over my body.”

“All the same color?”

“Um, no I don’t think so.”

Robin nodded thoughtfully. “So, the ability to make any part of your body emit light, of any color.”

Usopp looked disappointed. “That’s so lame though.”

“You think so? I think that, once you learn to control it, it could have a number of very practical uses.”

Franky nodded. “I think it’s really cool. You could be a human signal flare! Or use it for morse code… _you could become a human flash grenade._ ”

“Ooh, I hadn’t thought about it like that!”

“Sanji, why don’t you go next.”

“Oh, ok.” Sanji joined them at the table, carefully drying his hands with a dishcloth. “I just keep breaking things, Robin-chan.”

“Just with your hands?”

“Yes, at least so far.”

“Describe the items you say you’ve broken.”

“It’s all kinds of things. Plates, chairs, an entire head of lettuce. The pitcher of orange juice and the bathroom doorknob. It’s like they just, just shatter in my hands.”

“Have you noticed any patterns or anything unusual about the broken objects?”

“Uh, in all honesty, I was more concerned with making breakfast. But the broken plates are all over there on the counter still, if you want to look at them. Oh, and last night I accidentally used my power on the floor in the library.”

“That’ll have to get fixed after we take a look at it.”

“I know, I’m sorry…”

“I will actually study the plates later, if you don’t mind,” Robin said. “The better we understand what it is you’re actually doing, the better we can use it. Nami, what’s going on with you?”

“Fur,” Nami said unhappily. “It just kinda pops up sometimes, like Usopp’s spots. Sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once, like when I sneeze.”

“Do you know what kind of animal the fur belongs to?”

“Not yet. I don’t even think I know how to make it happen on my own, so it’s just been patches.”

“Doctor Chopper, do you think you’ll be able to help Nami with her new powers?”

“I can try, sure.”

“Then, I leave you in capable hands, Nami. Zoro, tell us about your experiences.”

Zoro didn’t answer her. He was staring blankly at the food in front of him, which he’d hardly touched, an unusual hunch to his shoulders.

Robin reached out and gently tapped him on the shoulder. “Zoro? Are you ok?”

Zoro started at her touch. “Sorry,” he said, looking at Robin, “were you talking to me? I didn’t hear you. It’s so loud in here…”

“Tell me what you’re hearing,” Robin encouraged gently.

“ _Everything_. All of it, all at once.”

“Last night, it seemed like he was responding to things we thought but never said out loud,” Nami informed Robin, scratching at a bit of orange fur on her neck.

Everyone turned and looked at Zoro, who winced.

“That must be hard,” Brook said quietly.

“I think it’s really neat!”

“Yes, Luffy. But not if he can’t filter it out. Zoro,” she said, touching him on the shoulder again, “we’re going to help you, ok? Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Why don’t you wait for me in the library, and I’ll be there in a little while to help you. Alright?”

“Yeah,” Zoro mumbled, standing up from the table.

“Alright. Ok, everybody, I think the time has come for some action. Luffy, Chopper, would you help Usopp, Nami, and Sanji try to get a handle on controlling their powers? I’m going to look at these broken plates.”

“What do you want Brook and I to do, Robin?”

“Well, you two certainly have no obligation to help train the newly-powered members of our crew, but you’re welcome to help if you want to.”

“Ok, got it.”

“Then, let’s get going!”

The Strawhats bustled out of the galley, putting their empty dishes in the sink on their way out. It felt good to have a sense of purpose, and they were starting to feel a little optimism about their newfound powers. Maybe eating the Devil Fruits had been a good idea, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who's read any of my previous One Piece fics should be noticing a trend by now. The crew showing each other their vulnerable sides, and being forced to acknowledge their emotions? Yep. Robin, taking charge of a situation and dishing out orders? Uh-huh. The crew eating breakfast together in the galley? Yeah, written that particular scene like five times by now. I am a simple writer with simple desires, and Strawhat breakfasts is all I want out of life.
> 
> Thanks for reading chapter 2! (There will be four, I have officially decided)


	3. Chapter 3

The optimism did not last very long. As the Strawhats soon discovered, you needed more than just a good attitude to control Devil Fruit powers. You needed discipline, understanding, and training, both mental and physical.

It also didn’t hurt to have friends to rely on for encouragement.

 

Luffy found Sanji sitting anxiously at the table in the galley, looking like a guilty puppy.

“How’s Franky?”

“He’s fine.”

“I didn’t mean to, really, I just bumped him by accident, I’m really sorry-”

“Sanji, he’s fine! He said you just got the outer casing on his shoulder. He’s, like, made of metal, he’s not hurt.”

Sanji hung his head, seeming to shrink in on himself. Luffy noticed that he had put on a pair of thick winter gloves, despite the warm weather outside. “He could have been. If I don’t learn to control these powers, I might really hurt one of you.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it,” Luffy said, walking over and sitting on the table, a habit Nami had long since given up on breaking.

“Ah, careful, don’t touch me!” Sanji hastily yanked his gloved hands off the tabletop. “I can’t control it, Luffy, I don’t want you to get hurt…”

Luffy cocked his head to the side. “Have you ever thought that, maybe you’ve been going about this the wrong way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Here, I’ll show you.” Luffy hopped off the table and walked over to the counter, opening the cutlery drawer and grabbing a handful of spoons. “Take those gloves off, you don’t need those.”

“Ok,” Sanji said nervously. “What now?”

“Here, take this,” Luffy said, holding out one of the spoons, “and break it. On purpose.”

“A-alright…” Sanji took the spoon and held it tightly, staring at it intently. A moment later, it shattered in his hand.

“Wow, did you see that? I did it!”

“Great! Do it again.”

Sanji successfully used his powers on four spoons in a row. Each break was faster and more precise than the last, and each success seemed to improve his self-confidence.

“Good job! Now take this one, and _don’t_ break it.”

“But-”

“No buts!”

Sanji swallowed, nodded. He reached out and grabbed the spoon, holding in gingerly.

“It- It’s not breaking! I’m doing it!”

Luffy grinned. “See, I knew you could.”

In a flash he reached out and caught Sanji’s free hand with his own. Sanji gasped and flinched away from him, but Luffy held on tight.

“Look, see? I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Sanji gave him a shaky smile. “Thank you, Luffy, I needed that. Just… next time let’s find something else to practice on, ok? We're running out of spoons.”

 

“A _tiger?_ ”

“I think so. Look, your stripes are starting to come in and everything.”

“I don’t want to be a tiger!” Nami looked on the verge of tears. “Tigers are predators, carnivores. That’s not me!”

“Yelling at me won’t change anything, will it?”

She sighed. “No. I guess not. I’m sorry, I just...don’t know what to do with this.”

“You go out there and be a tiger! It’s not that hard.”

“But how? As an offensive fighter, I guess. But how do I defend myself from other powered people? Do I keep my staff, or not? Should I-”

“Nami, calm down. You’re panicking.” Chopper waited for Nami to take a deep breath and look him in the eye. “Luffy didn’t ask me to join the crew because of my powers, or because I’m a reindeer. He asked me to join because I’m a doctor. That’s more important, don’t you think?”

“Well, yeah. I never thought of it like that.”

“Your job is to be a good navigator. Everything else is less important. So you’re a tiger now. No big deal, right?”

“...It still seems like kind of a big deal.”

“Ok, maybe that’s fair. I guess we’ll just have to train until it feels normal to you! But first you have to achieve full transformation. Let’s try again. Ready?”

Nami shook out her hands and planted her feet.

"Ready.”

 

“Come on, Usopp, focus!”

“I _am_ focusing!”

“You can do it, Usopp! We believe in you!”

Usopp stared at the hand he was holding in front of his face, concentrating so hard he felt like his head might explode.

“I can’t do it,” he finally gasped, letting the hand fall and panting for air.

Franky and Brook groaned theatrically in disappointment.

“I thought you were close that time!”

“Can someone hand me that wrench?”

“Yeah, here.” Usopp passed Franky the indicated tool. “How’s it going?”

“Just fine. It’ll be good as new within the hour.”

Usopp sighed. “Well, at least Sanji got a power that’ll be useful in combat. Actually, if one of us had to get a completely useless power, I’m glad it’s me. At least we’re keeping up with the theme.”

“Hey! Don’t say that.”

“Why not, it’s true.”

“You’ve been a member of this crew far longer than either of us,” Brook pointed out. “I’m sure Luffy doesn’t think you’re useless. And neither do I, and I’m sure none of the others do either.”

“I can’t even glow properly!”

Franky snorted. “You’re glowing right now. Did you not notice?”

Usopp blinked, looked down. Sure enough, a bright, warm yellow light shone out from his chest. As he watched, it began to fade, and then disappeared entirely.

“...Do you think it’s tied to my emotions?”

“Could be! It would make sense. Give it a try!”

“Ok, here I go…”

 

“Zoro?” Robin knocked gently on the library door. “May I come in?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

She carefully opened the door and backed into the small room, carrying a tray laden with tea cups and saucers. Zoro was sitting in one of the library chairs, arms crossed protectively across his chest. He didn’t look at her.

“Care for some tea?”

“Will it help?”

“Hey, you never know.” Robin poured him a cup and held it out for him.

“Thanks,” he muttered, accepting the cup.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m tired,” he said quietly. “I didn’t get any sleep last night. Apparently people’s thoughts don’t stop when they sleep. I swear I could hear Luffy dreaming at one point.”

Robin sat down in a chair opposite Zoro, nodding thoughtfully. “What did the Fruit you ate look like?”

“It was long, skinny, and kinda reddish, and…why do you keep thinking about flowers?”

“Just trying to see if you’d notice,” Robin shrugged, smiling a little. “You know, Zoro, not every power is unilaterally compatible with every person.”

“What.”

What I meant was, some powers are just better suited to some people.”

“Oh. Am I not suited to this power, is that why I can’t turn it off?”

“On the contrary, I think this power fits you incredibly well. You’ve been using your power continuously for at least twelve hours now, and you’re only a little tired? Zoro, most people would have collapsed by now. Once you learn to control this, I think you’re going to be able to do amazing things.”

“But what if I never get there?” He tightened his grip on his teacup, eyes downcast. “What if I can’t do it?!”

“You will. Trust me, you will.”

Zoro sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. I know you believe I can do it. It’s just…a lot.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He shrugged, avoiding her gaze again. “When everyone’s together, it gets so loud, you wouldn’t believe it. And it doesn’t stop. You know how, sometimes you don’t think your thoughts all the way through, because they just go by so fast? I hear those too. Or, I _feel_ them, I guess.”

“But you also hear complete thoughts, yes?”

“Yeah. Man, Robin, there’s so much I feel like I shouldn’t be hearing. I never wanted to know any of this stuff. Like, Sanji, right? He _pities_ me. He pities me, for having to deal with this.”

“Does that change your opinion of him, perhaps?”

Zoro grimaced uncomfortably. “I don’t know. Maybe. I just want to know how to stop it.”

Robin set aside her tea cup and leaned forward in her chair. “Then let’s get to work. Now, remember, it might not happen all at once. You’ll have to work at it, ok?”

“Ok. What do you want me to do?”

“Close your eyes, and take a deep breath…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, I'm a big advocate of 'there's no such thing as a useless power, you just have to know how to use it effectively.' One Piece is a series about a rubber boy whose personality traits are stupid, stubborn, and stretchy, for crying out loud. But really I just wanted to play around with some unique abilities and their potential uses. (I hope you guys find this resulting situation as amusing as I do). Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Things aboard the Sunny gradually returned to a semblance of normality. It took time for everyone to become comfortable with their new powers, but it did happen. And even if things were a little different afterwards, it wasn’t a bad different. On the contrary, it was all very new and exciting.

And unlike all the other new, exciting things in the Grand Line, it was theirs. Theirs to keep and explore and do what they pleased with.

 

“Zoroooooo,” Luffy whined. “Tell me where Sanji hid the snacks!”

“No. Find them yourself.”

“Aww, why can’t you just tell me?”

“Oi, Luffy!” Sanji’s voice called from through the open galley door, “you’d better not be asking the Marimo about those snacks!”

“Shut up, Cook, you couldn’t pay me to read your filthy mind!”

“What did you just say?!”

“Hey, no fighting!” Nami yelled from her seat against the railing across the deck. Lately she’d taken to wearing black tiger stripes in her hair. She claimed it was partial-transformation practice, but it was pretty obvious that she liked how they looked.

“Yes, Nami-san!” Sanji yelled.

Zoro snorted. “I heard that, Robin.”

Robin, sitting next to Nami with a book open on her lap, laughed and shrugged. “What can I say. I’m just glad to see things return to normal around here.”

“Hey, Luffy!” Usopp came sprinting through the door that led belowdecks, grinning widely, closely followed by Chopper. “Look what I can do now!”

“Let me see, let me see!”

Usopp skidded to a halt in front of Luffy and held out his arm, parallel to his chest. He scrunched his eyebrows together in concentration, and within a few seconds, brightly colored red dots began to appear on his skin. They joined together to clumsily spell out the word ‘mugiwara’.

“ _Awesome!_ ” Luffy’s eyes shone, and Usopp’s grin widened.

“I’m not to good at multiple colors yet, but one day maybe I’ll be able to make our flag!”

“That would be soooooo cool…”

“Dinner’s nearly ready, everyone!” Sanji called from the galley.

“I’ll go get Franky and Brook,” Robin said, setting aside her book and getting to her feet.

“Sanji-kun, can we eat outside? The weather’s really nice today.”

“Of course, Nami-san!”

“I’ll help carry the food if you need a hand, Sanji.”

“Oh, that would be a big help, thanks! Someone else wanna grab the sake for me?”

“Ok, sure.”

“Not you, Marimo!”

 

They ate on the lawn on the Sunny’s deck, and even after all the food and drink was gone they lingered, content to just sit and enjoy the cool breeze blowing in from the north. They watched the sun start to stain the clouds and sea pink and orange, and the stars start winking into existence in the sky above them.

“Nami, how long until we reach the next island?”

“A day or so, maybe two.” Nami shrugged. “Should be a fall island. Hope the nice weather keeps up.”

“Should be time enough to finish my latest project,” Franky said happily. “Sanji, I have a big chunk of coal in my workshop, do you think you’d be able to break it down for me?”

“Uh, I can try. Bigger and denser stuff is harder for me, but I should at least be able to get it into more manageable-sized pieces for you.”

“Great! Thanks.”

“What on earth do you need bits of coal for, Franky?”

“Oh, you’ll see! Just wait, it’s going to be _super_ cool.”

“I’d like to pick up some books at the next island, if it’s inhabited,” Robin mused. “I’ve been doing some research, trying to see if I can dig up some information on the previous owners of our various Devil Fruit powers.”

“What, all of us?”

“Mhm. I’ve long been interested in the history of mine, and I figured I might as well check up on the rest of ours while I was at it.”

“Oooooh.” Luffy looked intrigued. “Have you found anything out yet?”

“Nothing concrete. However, I did find one mention of a marine vice-admiral who could make her skin glow.”

Usopp laughed. “That’s fantastic! I’d definitely like to hear more about her, if you find anything.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Would you all like to hear one of my latest works in progress? It’s not much, but I think it has potential.”

“Yeah, Brook!”

“Yes please!”

“Well, alright then!”

Brook fetched his violin and began playing for them, a slow and lyrical piece full of dynamic swells and low, tremulous resolutions.

“Beautiful,” Nami hummed contentedly. “Reminds me of home, when I was little.”

“Somehow it makes me think of birds,” Usopp said. “Birds, flying over a calm sea.”

“You guys sure are poetic. It’s just music.”

“Nobody asked you, Zoro!”

“Hey, I didn’t say it sounds bad, did I?”

"Pay them no mind, Brook. It is a wonderful piece."

They sat in the grass and listened to the peaceful music as the sky darkened around them. The night was clear, and the waves were calm. At times like this, they could almost forget that they were travelling through the perilous Grand Line, with no guarantee of survival.

But though their enemies were many, and the dangers they faced were great, they weren’t afraid. The Strawhat Pirates had no reason to be afraid, as long as they had each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this one! I'm really glad I got to write this one, even if it's not super action-packed or even all that interesting. It was an experiment, and I think it turned out well (even if the ending was stupidly cheesy).
> 
> Thank you very much for reading this fic, I hope you enjoyed it!!!


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